Dear colleagues,

• Current situation
• Tier 2 planned move
• Staff COVID vaccine boosters
• Register your booster
• Useful links

Current situation

We currently have 151 active cases of COVID in our care, including 85 inpatients with 6 in ICU (3 ventilated). It’s worth noting that many of our inpatients with COVID have been admitted for other reasons and have incidental COVID. There are 66 patients in the Virtual Ward, the lowest number we’ve seen.

Today 313 staff are away from work due to either being COVID positive or requiring isolation due to being a close contact. This number does not include other types of sick leave.

Tier 2 planned move

If the downward trend in active cases in our care and staff away from work continue, we are planning to move to Tier 2 in our COVID and Influenza Response Plan next Wednesday.

This will mean recommencing outpatient care (both in person and virtual), category 1 elective surgery and category 4 endoscopies, and long waits for all other categories. I will confirm on Tuesday with more details.

Until then, Metro North remains in Tier 3 of our COVID-19 and Influenza Response Plan.

Staff COVID vaccine boosters

We are running a staff only booster blitz across Metro North from 16-19 August (Pfizer only).

Please see below for facility specific details:

You can make a booking for any of these sites.

If you are unable to make one of these sessions, vaccinations are widely available in the community through pharmacies and GPs.

Please ensure you bring your Medicare card with you and are eligible for a booster dose.

Register your booster

Registering your COVID-19 vaccine third and fourth doses is quick and easy:

• Download your COVID digital certificate from your myGov account
• Go to the COVID-19 Vaccination Hub
• Choose the +Booster Vaccination option
• Add your booster details (plus relevant evidence if you use a different name outside of work, eg marriage certificate)
• Upload or drag and drop your certificate
• Save

You can also submit a paper form if you can’t upload to the COVID vaccination hub during work hours. The form can be submitted to MN-COVID-Staff-Vaccination-Forms-only@health.qld.gov.au with a copy of your vaccination evidence.

If you’re not sure whether you have already updated your information, you can check under the personal profile section of myHR.

Useful links

• Find a PCR test provider (including drive through, bulk bill, four-plex) on the Queensland Government website. The site also includes locations for RAT kits for eligible commonwealth concession card holders.

• People with respiratory symptoms can make an appointment (often same day) through GP Respiratory Clinics.
• You can find a COVID vaccine provider using the Department of Health COVID Vaccine Clinic Finder website.

Your GP can also provide:

• COVID-19 vaccination
• Referral for COVID-19 and other respiratory virus PCR
• Assessment and management of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses
• Prescription of COVID-19 oral antivirals for eligible COVID-19 positive patients.

Regards,

Louise O’Riordan
Metro North Health Incident Controller